Has anyone managed to stop dreaming at night?

[Scottishdreams1991]

I'm not having nightmares or anything like that just regular dreams.
I hate having no control on what happens when I sleep. Can I do anything to stop them?

Thanks

Of course not.

I've never tried to stop dreaming, but things that make me dream more include eating too much/too late, drinking alcohol, going to bed too late, checking work emails last thing before bed, falling asleep watching/listening to something. Disturbed sleep in general makes me dream more.

The fact that you're worrying about it makes me wonder whether you're anxious generally at the moment? (this is another trigger for disturbed sleep and ridiculous dreams!)

I was once given some sort of antidepressant for sciatica, it meant I just dropped off and seeming woke up seconds later and it was morning. No dreams at all, it was awful!
I normally dream a lot and sometimes it's too much and can be tiring, I ve been known to dream very vividly I am work, then wake up and have to go to work again! Still preferable to no dreams at all.

Have you tried lucid dreaming?

Is dreaming bad?

You can't stop them but I find if I do a daily meditation (even a short one - 10-20 minutes each day) then my dreams are far less vivid/intrusive..

Yes, but I've got PTSD. If i do get them I don't remember them.

I love dreams!
Occasionally I have 'lucid dreams' where you are in a dream and you KNOW you are in a dream and can decide what happens next (or decide to wake up).
I just find that usually they 'evaporate' as I try and to recall what happened - which is a bit disappointing.
I've been told you should try and write them down when you wake up, but I have never been able to articulate them... 'I was in our house, but it wasn't our house. and we went across the road to the pub, which isn't there...' that sort of thing.

I hate the fact I can't control them. I almost feel like I've experienced things that I didn't want to.

I already follow good sleep hygiene. I wish I could take a dream blocking pill or something

If you had no dreams then you would go insane. Literally. Dreams are part of the human processing system. Many people, and I am one of them, seldom recall dreaming, but that doesn't mean we don't dream. No matter how disturbing you may find your dreams, you really do not want to be without dreams.

If you're having a repetitive dream then that's something you need to try and understand as often this us your subconscious alerting you to something important. I learned this through psychoanalytic therapy and it really helped me process some underlying issues.

I agree. I have had variations on the same dream for decades. Something horrible is happening (what the horrible thing is varies) and I try to shout or scream but can only make the slightest whisper so nobody can hear or understand me.

I love my dreams, very rarely nightmares though.

As well as being the night time equivalent of a soap opera (without the connected stories) they are the thing that gets me back to sleep after my bladder has woken me. I get back into bed, think about what my dream was, and before I know it, I'm in another dream.

Oooh is this true? Weirdly fascinating if so ... how would you go mad though?

@Mittens67 so that could indicate an inability to communicate your fears and anxiety in day to day life and this means situations arise that overwhelm you and you feel unheard, that you don't have a voice. Or there has been a past traumatic experience that you have buried and tried to suppress but your subconscious is trying to be heard. Or somethings else entirely! But if it keeps coming, it's worth quoting down the details and doing some dream work.

My dreams are incredibly complicated but not usually distressing.

It's been a while but I used to be able to dictate what dreams I would have. When dropping off to sleep I would tell myself the preferred story I would then dream about. It worked almost always but I've not done it for some years.

Yes, I am well aware of the underlying issue. It is a pretty clear theme. Insight doesn’t stop the dreams though.

I always used to remember my dreams but rarely do now. You usually only remember them if you wake up during one, which is why you remember them more when you've been drinking or are ill, are you waking several times a night?

Matthew Walkers book Why we Sleep is Incredible and explains sleep phases, you can try to figure yours out and wake between dreams or after the dream phase.

Ive never heard of anyone who doesn't want to dream because they don't like the lack of control. Is it worth exploring this feeling?

I wish I could!

My dreams are always really sad and when I wake up I'm really anxious or emotional for a few minutes.

I had a bereavement of a close family member in the last 12 months and most nights I dream of them. I hate it. I just want to go sleep and not dream- if there was cure for not having dreams then I'd take it.

If the bedroom is too hot I dream a lot more and they're more stressful so I'd suggest a cooler temperature if your room is warm.

I used to dream and rememberd them very easily in the morning. For years this went on, no nightmares, just dreams.

Then I had a stroke and can't remember anything. Nothing.

I wouldn't recommend that though.

Sorry, but you need to dream (otherwise you might go mad lols).

Maybe you need to try to embrace it and find a more positive aspect to it. Dreams are a fascinating view into our minds...

I've taken CBD treatment over the years, and when I've taken it before going to bed I have the most peaceful, dream less sleep ever! Lovely.
But if I get up to go for a wee and then go back to sleep for a bit, it's always very light sleep full of weird dreams!!
So - CBD before bed but no drinks!!

Sorry OP, I mean this kindly, but I find your question quite disturbing and perhaps indicative of a MH disorder such as anxiety. The need to control everything including your dreams does not seem healthy to me. Do you have other issues with anxiety at all?